


I Love You, I Do

by otayuriistheliteralbest



Category: PIERCE Tamora - Works, The Immortals - Tamora Pierce, Tortall - Tamora Pierce
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-12
Updated: 2017-07-30
Packaged: 2018-03-22 12:04:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3728251
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/otayuriistheliteralbest/pseuds/otayuriistheliteralbest
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Daine, will you marry me?” he blurted out.</p><p>She laughed, a beautiful ringing that lightened his heart. “Maybe someday,” she said teasingly, walking her fingers up his chest to cup his face. “But only if you’re very, very good.”</p><p>---</p><p>A look at the many marriage proposals of Numair Salmalin, starting with his POV at the end of Realms of the Gods. All characters belong to the inestimable Tamora Pierce. This is my first attempt at fanfic in a while, so edits/comments are more than welcome!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. ONE

The first time Numair proposed, they were both weary to the bone from their parts in thebattle that ended the Immortals War. 

The mage had limped away from his battle with the great mage, Inar Hadensra, and dropped to the ground below a willow tree unceremoniously, barely able to hide himself before he lost consciousness. When he awoke, it was to the crunch of hooves on brittle leaves that crumbled as they were crushed into the forest floor. Everything ached, and Numair was so sure that his magelet, his Daine, was gone forever, that he wanted nothing more than to have whoever was near him end his life quickly, so that he might join her in the realms of the dead.

Rather than a swift death, however, the lanky mage heard what he could only describe as the sweetest, most perfect sound in the world.

“What I plan to do to you won’t be near so quick as killing!”

The mage struggled to his feet, torn robes hampering him as he used the willow tree as support. “ _Daine?_ ” the man whispered, so sure that what he had heard could be nothing more than fantasy, so sure had he been that he would never hear that beautiful voice again. He took deliberate steps toward the concealing willow branches and brushed them aside to reveal the most wondrous sight.

Daine, his student, his magelet, his lover, stood before him, wearing a lilac dress and a smile that lit up her stormy grey eyes. She leapt at him, and they fell back against the willow’s trunk, kissing frantically, hands roaming for the sheer joy of knowing they were alive, and they were together again. The two sunk to the forest floor, leaning against the tree as they held one another. The mage’s eyes glistened with unshed tears, and he hugged the love of his life tightly.

“Daine, will you marry me?” he blurted out.

She laughed, a beautiful ringing that lightened his heart. “Maybe someday,” she said teasingly, walking her fingers up his chest to cup his face. “But only if you’re very, very good.”

The mage gripped Daine’s shoulder as smoldering emotion gripped him. His eyes darkened with thoughts of the future as he murmured, “And what if I’m _very, very bad_?” At his words, adelightful shiver ran through his magelet, and she looked back at him, mischief in her eyes. Numair swept down, his kiss this time a promise of things to come, leaving them panting for more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dialogue in this first chapter is purposefully taken from my memory, rather than exactly as it appears in the book. There will be spoilers in later chapters for Protector of the Small and Trickster, as well as some lemony goodness. ;)


	2. TWO

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A moment of calm.

The second time Numair proposed, they were sitting in his rooms at the palace in Corus. 

The war had ended not a week earlier, and the realm was rebuilding. It had taken the two mages that time to recuperate and gain their strength back, both physically and magically. It was a calm that they had not experienced since before the war, and even then those moments had been few and far between.

Daylight streamed in through the open windows, casting a soft glow on the couple as they sat at the small cluttered dining table, a comfortable silence between them. Kitten was curled up in her adoptive mother’s lap, chirping happily in her sleep. The girl smiled down at the young dragon fondly, stroking her back as she slept. Kitten sighed and snuggled closer.

“It doesn’t feel real, this calm,” Numair murmured, reaching out to grasp Daine’s free hand in his. He kept his voice quiet so as to not awaken the sleeping dragon. “We’ve been in such a constant state of battle that I don’t know what it’s like to just  _be_  with you. We don’t have to rush anywhere, we don’t have to be ready to fight at any moment...” His lips quirked in a half smile. “I love you so much, my magelet.”

Daine flushed, still unaccustomed to hearing these words, though they had been said so frequently over the past week. The girl brushed her thumb over Numair’s in lazy circles, a contented look on her face. “I’m so happy t’ be here with you, Numair. I don’t have the words, not all flowery like you put them. I want us to stay like this forever.”

The mage gripped Daine’s hand tight, bringing it to his lips. “Then marry me, sweetling.”

“Nay, you’ll not be doing it like that. I want to be able to enjoy you and keep you to myself for as long as possible, without getting the Gods involved.” The girl scrunched up her button of a nose at the thought. “They’ve been about our lives too often of late. I want it to be just us, no one else.” 

Kitten shifted in her sleep, stretching out and then curling toward her mother, head tucked into the girl’s stomach. The baby dragon mumbled under her breath and hid her eyes from the soft light from the window with her paw. The couple laughed quietly.

“Well,” said Daine, “as ‘just us’ as we can get, I s’ppose.”

Numair grinned at that. “We have all the time in the world, magelet. That won’t keep me from asking, of course. You’ll need to make an honest man of me one of these days.”

Daine’s laugh startled the dragon in her lap into wakefulness and, grumbling, Kit crawled out of her mother’s warm lap and onto the bed, pulling the covers over her head with a snort.


	3. THREE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A sweet moment between Numair and Daine. Lemons abound! Sorry it took so long to post, I had a bit of a snag writing this one.
> 
> Are you interested in beta'ing this fanfiction? I'm looking for someone who can check grammar and continuity! Just shoot me a message at mindscastshadows @ gmail . com.

The third time Numair proposed... well.

The months following what was being called the Immortals War were a time of rebuilding and celebration. There were still many immortals out there who had fought for Ozorne that needed to be routed out, but for most of the realm, the people were relieved and happy to go back to their normal lives.

Daine folded and put away the last of her clothes into a drawer, sliding it shut with a satisfying _thud_. After much convincing on Numair’s part, and some surprise on the part of their friends, the girl had agreed to move in to his rooms at the palace - though to be honest, it did not take much time for her to move in once she had decided. Daine already spent most of her days and nights in those rooms with the man she had grown to love. 

Strong arms wrapped around Daine’s waist from behind and whisked her off her feet, swinging her around the empty space in the middle of the room. She let out a shrill laugh, poking at her stork man’s arms. “Put me down, you dolt!”

“Why should I, when I have you right where I want you?” Numair murmured in the girl’s ear, settling her back on the ground. Daine turned to face him and grinned saucily, reaching up on her tiptoes to give the man a deep kiss.

“Right where you want me, hmm? We’ll see about that.” The girl bounced away from him, twirling around the room. Numair laughed as he chased after her, never quite able to catch Daine. She jumped from the floor onto the oversized bed that jutted out from the wall; the mage made a lunge for her legs that surprised a squeak from the girl, and she fell safely on her rump onto the soft surface. Numair scrabbled up onto the bed and held her in place with his body, pinning the struggling girl’s arms above her head.

“Gotcha,” he said, breathless with mirth. He smiled down at his giggling captive, who wriggled, trying to escape his grip.

“It seems you have,” Daine muttered, then stopped. A flush came across her face, and with a small, wicked smile, she said, “What do you plan to do with me, all caught as I am?” To make her point clear, the girl shifted her trapped hips against Numair’s.

Realizing the position he had put them in, Numair gasped and released Daine’s arms, lifting his body off of her and kneeling next to her on the bed. “I - I’m sorry, I mean, that is, um, I had no -”

Daine rolled her eyes to the heavens and tugged Numair back down. She grasped his face with both hands, bringing his lips to hers. He hesitated at first, and then clutched at the girl tightly. Each time they came up for air, the two quickly came together for more, never wanting to stop.

Numair kissed his way down his magelet’s jaw to suckle at her earlobe, making her whimper. With one hand, Daine tugged at the lacings holding her shirt together, with the other she roamed over his face, his chest, everywhere she could reach. The mage freed her from the shirt, flinging it to the floor in his haste, her breast band joining it shortly after.

Numair’s hands roamed over flesh, ghosting over one breast teasingly as he dipped his head down to coax the other of his magelet’s nipples with his tongue, swirling and sucking gently. Daine squirmed in her lover’s arms, wanting more.

With a low growl, the girl dragged Numair up her body with surprising strength and tugged at his own shirt. “This needs to come off-” she muttered, “right _now_.” The mage laughed softly, quickly stripping the offending garment off. Daine ran her hands over the revealed flesh.

The wild mage wouldn’t describe Numair as muscled, though he was by no means weak. He was more wiry than anything. She reveled in the feel of his skin and hummed softly, smiling up at him.

Numair’s breath caught in his throat and he swooped down to kiss her thoroughly on that sweet mouth. The couple made short work of their remaining clothes and fell head first into the passion they felt for one another. 

With a final thrust, Numair collapsed onto Daine, spent. Sweat beaded down his back, and he nuzzled his nose against his lover’s neck, making her squeak.

“Numair, you’re too heavy!” she giggled. “Get off of me. There’s plenty of bed for the both of us.”

The mage grinned into Daine’s neck, then rolled them over so that his magelet rested on top of him. “Why, yes, I do believe there is. But isn’t this so much more fun?”

Daine’s smile seemed to shine down on Numair, and he pushed himself into a sitting position, with Daine straddling his waist. The mage cupped his lover’s cheek, and he murmured, “Marry me, love. Marry me, and we can stay in this bed for as long as you like. Forever, even.”

She laughed and smacked him on the chest. “We’d be the talk of the castle if we never left our rooms! Nay, not just yet, Numair.”


	4. FOUR

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Daine meets Keladry of Mindelan and Peachblossom...Daine's POV from First Test. Like with the first chapter, I've written this from my memory of the scene, with minimal glancing at the book, so it is not word for word from Tammy's lovely story. Characters you see are not mine, though I like to take them out to play from time to time.

The seasons had shifted slightly, though it was still warm and breezy out the castle could sense autumn on its way. Numair had spent the past day and a half on a working that he could not explain to Daine. The mage barely noticed when she set down food at their small table for him to eat, and even then scarcely ate a thing. Daine huffed, though she knew that he got like this at times. The wild mage wished that she could figure out what Numair’s current project was, but it was on the metaphysical plane, and was tied to the physical realm with what appeared to her untrained eye to be a lump of clay. 

Her lover had finally nodded off in bed after a long day of work, fully clothed and with his arms wrapped tightly around Daine, when she heard a loud rapping knock at their door.

The woman shimmied out of the knackered mage’s grasp, to muffled disgruntled noises. Smiling, she smoothed her clothes out and then padded lightly to the door, opening it just a crack so that the light would not awaken Numair.

In the doorway stood two pages. Neal of Queenscove she knew from previous encounters, but she did not know the young, quiet page who stood stoically behind him.

“Neal, hello there,” Daine spoke in hushed tones. “Are you looking to speak to Numair? He only just fell asleep, I’m afraid. He was up for the past day and a half on a magic working, and I have the feeling he won’t wake till late tomorrow.”

The older page shifted his weight back and forth on his feet. “Actually, no,” Neal whispered back. “We were looking for you, Daine. My friend Kel here needs your help - or rather, her horse does.”

Daine put up a finger to tell him to hold a moment, and she stuffed her stockinged feet into the boots she had set beside the entrance. Glancing back once more at the slumbering form of her lover, she slipped out of the rooms as silently as she could, carefully closing the door behind her.

Bunching her curly mane up in a horse tail, Daine looked sharply at the two pages. “A horse? Is something the matter?”

Neal shook his head at Daine. “No, nothing like that. He’s just a mean-spirited horse, and Kel here won’t give him up for something calmer. Oh, right. Veralidaine Sarrasri, this is Keladry of Mindelan. Daine, Kel.”

Something clicked in Daine’s mind. “Oh, you’re the one that Bonedancer likes so much. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Kel. Now what do you want to be done about your horse?”

Neal butted in, since his young friend seemed reticent to respond. “We were - well, I was - thinking that maybe you could take a look at him. He is wicked clean through, and has a mouth like a rock.”

Daine worried at Neal’s words a little. A hard mouth was something that she could fix in a split, but an animal’s attitude was a part of who it was. That was not something that she would change, even if she could. She hummed quietly. “What is your horse’s name, Kel?”

“Peachblossom,” was the curt reply.

“That’s a lovely name. Not a horse I know personally, but then I mostly interact with the Queen’s Riders ponies. Let’s go take a look at him, then.”

The trio made their way to the pages’ stables, and Daine immediately found herself drawn to the strawberry roan who named himself as Peachblossom. She unlatched his stall and slipped in, giving a mental warning not to try any of his tricks on her. He would _not_ be happy with the results if he did. The gelding’s ears flattened back briefly, then perked up at the warning, keeping wary as Daine inspected him with her hands and her mind.

Daine sunk into her magic and opened her mind to the horse’s body. There was the hard mouth that Neal had mentioned, as well as scars on the poor creature’s sides from a fool who tried to use the spur to get the gelding moving. 

She relayed what she had found to the two pages. She didn’t want to soften his mouth if the girl page would just tug on the bit like his previous riders, and had her promise not to use the spur on him. 

“I don’t want to see him killed for his…spirited attitude, should I switch horses,” Kel said, shrugging her shoulders as if to brush the idea away.

Daine did some quick math in her head. “I could buy him. I have enough saved, and you could have a more mild-tempered mount.”

Hearing these words, Peachblossom snorted and shifted his weight until he was facing the young page. He dipped his head down and lipped at the girl’s outstretched hand, saying, I will stay with Kel. If I am not there to watch after her, who will?

Daine laughed and relayed Peachblossom’s comment to the two pages.

“Come now, Peachblossom. I still need to heal your ouches.” The Wild Mage lifted her hand to his neck, stroking the coarse hair.

Her attention now focused on the gelding, Daine pulled from her magical reserves and set about healing the poor creature’s mouth and scars, murmuring nonsense to him as she went. Peachblossom was a sharp creature, even though he had not been around Daine for long like Cloud or the ponies of the Queen’s Riders. 

This brought an idea to Daine’s mind. 

“Kel, would you like me to teach Peachblossom commands for speed, so that you won’t be forced by your trainer to use spurs on him? Things like “go faster” and “charge” and the like?” 

The quiet young page looked at Daine thoughtfully, then replied, “Honestly, I could use anything that can help the two of us to work together. Thank you.”

—

Daine walked back to her rooms with young Neal, chattering about Duke Gareth and others of the court. They said their goodbyes and she returned quietly to the dark rooms that she shared with Numair, slipping out of her boots and padding over to the bed to rejoin her lover in sleep. The moment she stretched out on the bed, long muscled arms wrapped tightly around her waist, causing her to squeak in surprise, and pulled her back against the chest of one sleepy Numair.

“And just where were you off to, my darling?” He murmured into her ear, voice thick with exhaustion.

Daine laughed and stroked Numair’s arm. “Neal of Queenscove was here for help with a friend’s horse. Go back to sleep, my love.”

The sleepy mage growled and gripped Daine tighter. “That boy is half in love with you. He had better not try anything.”

Daine rolled her eyes, though in the dark Numair wasn’t able to see her, and poked him in the side. “Nonsense, Numair. It’s a silly crush, and he will get over it. Besides, I have enough on my hands with a big man-child like you.” She yelped as the sleepy man rolled her onto her back, holding his weight off of her enough so that he would not crush her.

“A man-child, am I?” She couldn’t see him, but the young woman could tell he was glowering.

“Yes, you are, my silly, overgrown, adorable man-child. Now get off of me, you’re going to squash me.”

All that did was cause Numair to flop down on Daine. “Not funny, Numair!” she gasped, “Get off!”

The mage wiggled on top of his lover. “Say you’ll marry me, and I’ll get off.”

“I can hardly say anything with you squishing me like this,” the woman retorted. “Off. Now.” She poked his side for good measure.

Numair continued to squirm on top of the Wildmage for a moment, then sighed dramatically. “Very well, my dear. I will do as you wish.” The man rolled off of his lover, who took a deep breath, filling her lungs. He then resumed their position from earlier, and wrapped his arms around his magelet.

Daine turned her head to look at her lover. “Numair?” she murmured. There was no response. “Love?” She prodded him lightly, and received a loud, rumbling snore in return, startling a laugh from the young woman. Numair had fallen back asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone is interested, I am looking for a beta reader to help push me along and edit my chapters. Post a comment if you'd like to help me out! :)


	5. FIVE

Daine sat outside in the dappled sunlight under a grand oak tree, soaking in the sound of nature surrounding her. A calm breeze drifted by, bringing with it the sounds of crickets, crows, sparrows, and more to her ears. The scent of oncoming rain enveloped everything;  she relished in the feel of this perfect day. The Wild Mage sat on the ground with her legs crossed, the local squirrels coming and going, telling her news of their families and the other wild animals that inhabited the castle grounds.

Daine allowed all this information to wash over her and closed her eyes, slowly sinking into her meditation. There she found the deep well of her magic that sat at the center of her being, contained for the most part but for a few stray tendrils seeking their way out, trying to break free.

_ None of that, now. Back where you belong. _

The young woman shooed at the tendrils of magic, tucking them back into place where they resided.

Satisfied with putting her mind into order, Daine drifted outward, soaring through the wind on imaginary wings. There were the squirrels who had come to visit her, chittering to each other in the ancient oak tree, and there, in the sky, was a cluster of sparrows soaring on the wind just as she was doing. They called out a greeting to the winged twolegger-magic-friend, swirling around her before moving on, and she soared higher on the wind, coming out high above the castle. She could see the pages exercising their horses, and she wondered how the page Keladry of Mindelan was handling Peachblossom after their meeting. The Wild Mage turned, and there were the mews and kennels in the distance. She could see the barracks of the Queen's Riders and smiled to herself, remembering that she needed to go see how Miri was doing. Maybe she could see her friend for lunch.

Daine heard a soft crunch of grass and dirt close to her body and sighed, sinking back into herself and fluttering open eyes unaccustomed to the remarkably bright fall day. Crouched on the ground beside her was her beautiful stork man, hair tousled by the breeze, his limbs splayed awkwardly around him as he stretched out. Numair gazed out on the hill where Daine had chosen to meditate.

"Hello, love," the Wild Mage murmured, uncrossing her legs to stretch out next to Numair. "Have you solved the problem of the cracked opal?"

Numair sighed deeply and flicked his hand out dramatically. "Alas, I have not. It’s much trickier than Jonathan can even begin to fathom.”

Daine weaved her fingers into the man’s outstretched hand and shifted her legs into a more comfortable position. “You’ll figure it out, Numair. You always do.”

Numair hummed, a smile on his face. They rested in comfortable, companionable silence, gazing out at the landscape.

After a time, Numair shifted, leaning over the young woman who was lying beside him on the hilltop. “You know, I always imagined getting married in the autumn. The leaves are a riot of color and there is a beautiful, crisp breeze. Plus, of course, the food is delicious. I would happily drown in apple cider.”

Daine laughed at the thought of the man swimming in a large pool of cider. “I would love to see that.”

Numair dipped his head down to steal a kiss, making Daine gasp. “You could, you know. Won’t you marry me, Daine? I would die a happy man.”

The Wildmage sighed and sat up next to her lover. “Numair, you know that I’m not ready yet. It hasn’t yet been half a year since we’ve become…more than master and student. I don’t want to rush into things, and it’s bad enough that we’re sharing living quarters - not that I think living with you is a bad thing! You know that that isn’t what I meant.” She looked up at her dear stork-man. “Just give me space, Numair, to settle into this. Give me time.”

Numair’s stormy eyes cleared as he let out a huff of frustrated air. “I understand, my magelet. It’s just so hard to wait when I love you so much…” The man bent his knees and forced himself to stand up, then held out a hand to his lover. “Shall we take our lunch with the Riders? I’m curious to see how their training is going, and I’m sure that Miri would like to see a friendly face.”

The Wildmage smiled gratefully and jumped up, grabbing Numair’s hand. “You read my mind! Let’s go. Maybe I can conduct an impromptu check on the trainees’ ponies. It’s been a little while since I was there last, mayhap they’re slacking.”

Numair chortled at that. “With you around, and Onua to keep them on their toes? I should hope not!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry that I've taken such a long time to post this! Life got in the way, and then my muse left me for this fic... here's another short chapter for you guys. I have the entire fic plotted out, with a timeline that coincides with the books all the way through the Protector of the Small quartet. I promise to focus on finishing ILYID!! Love to all of you, and thank you for all of the lovely comments!


	6. SIX

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Numair is drunk at Midwinter.

Midwinter was in full swing, and Daine couldn’t help but think that the squires were a little _too_ good at refilling empty wine goblets. It was one of the rare occasions where she would be caught wearing a dress, and she sat on a couch comfortably ensconced between her Rider friends Miri and Evin Larse, chatting about how the new crop of trainees were faring. 

“Jarston is almost as big as I am, and somehow he ended up with some of the stockiest ponies of the lot!” Evin was telling them, waving his arms about. “I didn’t think it was a good idea, but he’s so light that they somehow manage to carry him well enough.”

Miri laughed, sloshing her wine goblet and splattering the carpet with red droplets that managed to escape. “You should have seen Jarston at first, though. He was all arms and legs on that dun mare of his!”

A shadow passed over the trio on the couch, and they looked up to see Numair, swaying slightly and with a light hearted grin on his face.

“Ah, Daine, there you are, my magelet!” he said loudly.

Daine crinkled her eyes at the man. “ _You_ are drunk, Numair. Who have you been drinking with? And sit down, you’re too tall to be standing about when the rest of us are sitting.”

Numair looked around the room - all the chairs appeared to be taken - and comically plunked down on the carpet beside Daine, managing somehow to not spill a drop of wine from the full goblet in his hand.

“‘M not drunk, Daine. No no no no no. No I am not. Jonathan and I were discussing...what were we talking about?” The mage looked up at Daine with wide eyes, as if she would be able to tell him.

Daine laughed and plucked the goblet from Numair’s hand. “Oh really, Numair? You’re _not_ drunk? How am I to know what you were talking to the king about when I wasn’t there, hmm?”

Numair shook his head and swayed again, putting one hand to the side of his head to steady himself. “Oh, who’s moving the room?”

Daine handed off Numair’s goblet to an amused Evin Larse. “You take this, Evin. It looks like mayhap it’s time we were off to bed.”

“But I don’t want to go to sleep!” Numair protested as his magelet heaved him up off of the ground.

“There, there.” Daine patted his arm. “Come along now, it’s time to go. Say goodbye to Mari and Evin.”

Numair sighed and attempted to focus his eyes on the two Riders. “Night, Mavi and Enir… Nari and Evim…”

Daine rolled her eyes and tugged Numair along behind her, wishing her friends a good night and a happy Midwinter.

\---

Daine lit a candle as she entered their quarters and brought it over to her bedside, then tugged Numair in the room after her - he had stayed behind at the doorway when she entered the darkened room.

“You, sir, are going to have a nasty headache in the morning,” she informed the swaying Numair.

He chuckled at Daine and attempted to shuck off his boots, managing only to fall against the wall with a light _oompf_

“Mayhap you’re right,” Numair replied, glaring at his feet. Daine chuckled and walked over to him.

“Hold onto my shoulder, love,” she said sweetly. He did as she told him and she tugged on his leg, treating him much like she would a horse. She ran her hand down his leg to make him realize what she was doing and helped him to bend his knee, raising the leg until she could pull off his boot and set it on the floor next to them. Daine repeated the motion with his other leg, and then settled him back down.

“There you are, Numair, you can let go of me now,” Daine told him. Rather than letting go, though, the mage tugged her closer in an embrace, his face buried in her cloud of hair.

“I love you so much, my darling magelet. Will you not marry me?” his voice was muffled in her hair, but Daine heard him clearly.

“Nay, you’ll not ask me like this,” Daine told him, shaking her head and tugging away from his grasp. “Not while you’re drunk and won’t remember.”

Numair stared unblinkingly down at Daine and then tried to shake his head again to clear it.

“Oh...I think I’m going to be sick,” he said, suddenly turning green. He barely made it to the chamber pot in the connected room.

Daine scratched her head, sighing.

“It’s all for the best, I suppose. I want you to remember when I say yes,” she said to the empty room, then turned in a swirl of skirts to get ready for bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry to have left you all hanging on this story for so long. I'm going to try to wrap this up in one or two more chapters. I fell headlong into another fandom and all but abandoned this story. I hope you like this quick update.


	7. SEVEN

“Daine.” Numair came up to her as she sat at their small table in their rooms. She was pouring over maps of Northern Tortall and the border with Scanra as they prepared to go north, to battle.

The Wildmage hmmed at her lover and reached up to pat his hand when he set it on her shoulder. 

“What is it, love?” she asked him.

“I know we’re about to go to war again, and maybe this isn’t the best time for this, but I don’t care.” Numair’s voice was serious, and Daine turned in her chair to give him her full attention.

“Daine, I love you with all of my heart, and what I want most in this world is to be your husband.” He dropped to his knee beside Daine’s chair, grasping her hands tightly in his. “I swear to you to always love you and care for you for the rest of our lives and onward. Will you please marry me, my love?”

Numair’s eyes were filled with worry, and Daine reached out a hand to smooth the creases from his brow, the corners of his eyes, and bent forward to pull Numair into a gentle kiss.

“Of course, Numair. Of course I’ll marry you, you daft man,” she told him, a sweet smile on her face. “I was only waiting for you to ask me properly.”

Numair laughed wetly and stood up, grabbing Daine around the waist to spin her in the air. He set her down, a wide grin on his face.

"Well now that that's settled...when do you want to get married?" he asked.

"We head to the border with Scanra in a week's time," Daine said thoughtfully. "There's no reason for us to wait, is there? Why not today?"

Numair felt like his heart stopped. He cupped Daine’s face and peppered her with kisses. “Yes, why not today? Shall we go see if Alanna and the others can spare a moment for us?”

Daine tugged Numair closer to her, wrapping her arms around his waist. “I would like that very much. I love you, Numair.”

“I love you, too, my magelet.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end. Huzzah!


End file.
